Referencing dendrochronology—the science of tree-ring dating—this sculpture is an artistic interpretation distilling 5000 years of Jewish history into 135 milestones. Bay Area artists Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg conducted extensive research and consulted with many scholars in the process. They then crafted moments of struggle, humor, irony and depth into an unorthodox and evocative narrative. Each event is hand-burned by Shlain into the reclaimed wood using pyrography. 

 

Trees have long held sacred meaning in Jewish tradition—from the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge to Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year of the Trees.” In this sculpture, a tree is both medium and metaphor—a witness to history, and a symbol of resilience and renewal.

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An edition of this sculpture appeared in the artists’ Getty PST ART: Art & Science Collide exhibition Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology in LA and will travel to di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in SF opening Jan 20, 206, and other locations. DendroJudaeology encourages viewers to reflect on their own place within this larger story and contemplate our shared responsibility in shaping the future. 

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3 minute video of artist talking about the sculpture. To inquire further on the artwork, please contact art@tiffanyshlain.com

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